Protect children from shocking news

Friday morning I was waiting in line at a local coffee place when a young mother with two girls (around 5 and 7 years old) came in. An older woman standing behind me turned to her and said, "I guess you are holding those two especially close today, aren't you?" The young mom replied she didn't know what she meant. Before I could figure out how to "shush" her without drawing more of the children's attention, she proceeded to describe the shootings in Connecticut. The mom expressed shock while asking several questions about the ages of the victims, possible motive for the murders, etc. Meanwhile, the 7-year-old was looking up at them with huge frightened eyes and a slack jaw. She quietly steered her younger sibling away and said, "Oh, look at this over here ... ."

While we are figuring out how to protect our children's physical safety, can we at least be more sensitive to their emotional health?